Mnemosyne
by YamiTenshi
Summary: 'Memory has a geography inside the body, physical and sometimes trackable...' He hoped the Sight went away soon. He didn't know how much longer he could stand to watch Gaara be in such pain. NaruGaa


Mnemosyne

It means memory. The title, I mean. Or rather, it was the name of a Titan and that's how it's generally translated. You'll pick up on the fact that this touches on Greek mythology, though nothing serious. The quote in the description is from a poem called _Geography of a Body _by Michelle Elise. Cool beans.

0o0

His wrist ached. Writing always tired him, especially when vision gripped him in its white-hot iron clutches. Still the scenes persisted, the voices whispered. All the miniscule details he could never wish to know but did circled around and around and around and aroundand around and a round anda round andaroundandaroundaroundroud until he found himself hilariously, desperately close to being quite mad. Lips twisting into a smile as he watched another man being slaughtered he chuckled wearily. How many more years of this? How much longer would he have to suffer this daily indignity?

Shame that his lucidity barely carried over into his life outside the Writing. He laughed again, a short burst that made an assistant Librarian pop his pathetic little head up from a book that one of his predecessors had written. Billing it off as a figment of his imagination, the man returned to his studies halfheartedly. Envy colored these men around him green, but they didn't know what it was like—wait, what was he thinking about? Ah yes, the clear-mindedness that was a side-effect of these activities. The session must be winding down for murkiness to be returning. What was it they called him when he wasn't in this chair? Feeble-minded? Sub-normal? Well, technically it was both, but the commoner's term was 'idiot'. In a medical book he'd penned last summer (he struggled to recall this, that damn inevitable muddying) it had been something along the lines of mental retardation. The phrase had yet to catch on.

Sometimes he wondered if he was or not during these spells. If he could be bright while Writing, couldn't he be the same when he wasn't? Yet whenever he tried to hold a decent conversation outside of this room, his tongue grew fat and sluggish and his words childish. A safe yard—safeguard? No other Authors had been written about yet, so he knew nothing of his kin's lives. Was this normal for them? The Librarians wouldn't say. Silly dungheads. He glanced down at his paper. More dead Mayans. Whou would've guest? Slower the pen scrawled across the paeper. Winding down. Eyelids heavy, heavier, heavierest. Goodbuy clean head. Hello stupidity.

The pen stopped.

Fatigued, he fell in a slump over the table, stick fingers contorted in a position that could have been construed as one for writing, marbled fountain pen so tightly betwixt them that its husk was on the verge of cracking. The Librarians noticed his cessation and rejoiced, lifting his head to extract the book from beneath it. Though the current page was besmirched by the oil of his cheek, it was otherwise unscathed and in full leather-bound glory.

"Most excellent, sire," said one Librarian as he skimmed through the final entry in the history of Mayan civilization. He passed it to another who would summon for a horseman to bring it to the Library where it would join the rest.

"Indeed, sire!" chirped the assistant, freed from the boredom of his studies. "None of the other Authors were able to finish the Mayans. This is a true landmark!"

"Yes," hummed the Senior Librarian as the burning vise loosened from the Author's mind. "Your visions are not nearly as… _splintered _as theirs were. It was quite a bother, having to fetch a different book every two or three sentences because of their ever-changing visions. I do believe this calls for a celebration."

Grasping for some shreds of normalcy, the Author spoke with a woolly tongue. "I… wish… for no such… uhn…"

Why did his head ache so badly? Uttering a bellowing moan, he dug his hands into his hair and pulled, hoping to relieve the pressure.

"Lady Matsuri will no doubt be invited and she is sweet on you."

Matsuri? Who was that? The Author tried to remember who she was. Matsuri, Matsuri—Clio? They meant Clio, the history lover with too many sisters. "I like Clio."

No, wait, he didn't. Well, he did, but… Thinking about it made his head hurt more, so he pulled harder on his hair, stretching his scalp to the limit.

"He is tired, postpone your jubilation until a later date, please. And Matsuri doesn't care much about him as a person, she's enamored with the stories." His footservant set himself to pulling the fountain pen away from the Author. Softly he chided, "Don't pull on your hair. It took ages for the patches to grow back in after last time."

The Author freed his curly hair, but only because his servant had asked. He would do anything for him…

The Senior Librarian turned up his nose at the servant. "A brief rest will restore him to full capabilities. What does a peon like you know of his personal wellbeing in the first place?"

"What _I_ know is that Authors before him died prematurely because of poor health and excessive labor!" the footservant snapped. "He is not an ass for you to flog to death at leisure!"

"Desist in this blasphemy, you cur!" the Senior Librarian barked, striking the servant across his broad back with his cane. Sweetening his tone, he returned attention to the Author. "Lord Gaara, you know he speaks out of turn thusly because you do not punish him. Allow me to take this task upon myself. I know that your feeble-mindedness is a burden and you cannot be bothered to do it yourself."

Back throbbing, the servant glared balefully at the older man before kneeling at his lord's side. "Pay no mind to him, Gaara. You're not feeble-minded. What do you want to do?"

One eye blackened from restless nights looked at his primary caregiver. "Apollo…"

"No, I am Naruto."

Mistaken names were frequent with Gaara and though it frustrated the rest of those who came into contact with him, Naruto ignored it and simply corrected him when necessary.

"I feel sick, Apollo. I want to go to bed."

"You do look sick, sir. Moreso than usual." Naruto's voice grew softer, more gentle. At that moment an idea was birthed from the loins of his mind and he joyfully suggested it. "Perhaps you should take a holiday to rejuvenate yourself. You've been looking exceptionally unwell lately."

"Sounds nice, Apollo. Tell the Librarians."

The entire exchange had been heard.

"You mustn't neglect your duties to knowledge, sire!" the Assistant Librarian protested.

Gaara mumbled into the desk. Yelling, arguing, it wasn't for him.

"Knowledge should be why you should allow him to take a hiatus, or do you desire him to meet the fate of his predecessors?"

"Take me to my room, Apollo."

As he lifted the Author from his seat, Naruto wondered if the man even knew how precious he was to the kingdom. Impossibly rare as a diamond lily, target of assassins and kidnappers alike routinely dispatched from other empires in attempts to seize control of him. To the public, he was a miracle. To the footservant who'd been carrying him his entire life, he was simply a man who was light as a feather. It was his duty to attend to his master in any needed way and he was glad to perform it for the rest of his days. He had an innate fondness for his lord, especially in the way he got after sessions when he would reach upwards in search of him like a prison-house daisy struggling toward the sun, arms outstretched so that Naruto could carry him. After long hours of inactivity, the Author's legs were usually asleep and if it wasn't that, then he was usually too weak to even stand. He lived in luxury and he spent all his time sitting or asleep, it was no surprise to anyone that he could barely walk. Thankfully, his diet was as such that he got the proper nutrition so that his legs didn't simply break in half when he did stand, but he ate like a bird and the black ayahuasca the priests made him take to prod the sight into activity when it was being finicky made him vomit what little food he had in his belly. Being an Author was a sacred duty, but it was no way to live.

Ordinary folk would look at the Author and his servant and say that Naruto simply pitied his master. What else could a strong, handsome youth feel towards a needy, emaciated manchild? Surely there was no affection between them. Perception, however, was not always the truth. Naruto deeply cherished the time between the end of the session and Gaara's bedtime. It was when he could hold him to his heart and let the rhythm set Gaara's mind ease after a long day, to anchor him if only for a fleeting moment. Gaara would look up at him in dazed adoration like a child to a war hero and he wondered how a reversal of fortunes would have ended up. The time came, just outside the master bedroom for him to ask once more if Gaara was planning on eating dinner tonight and again, as he did almost every other day, the answer was no.

Naruto was always amazed when he entered his lord's room. Today was no exception. The high-tiered four post bed was lavish in rich cloth of purple and gold, a testament to the only Author in the entire kingdom. Unnecessary expenses filled the room, like the globe by the window made out of semi-precious stones that was gathering dust nicely. India had been pried out of it with a knife by a former maid who was still in the dungeons for having committed a theft against the one blessed by God. After that incident, only Naruto was allowed to clean the room. A brass incense pot smoldered in the corner with three Byzantine vessels to store the incense in placed in a perfect equilateral triangle around the pot and Naruto knew that it'd have to be relit, but he set Gaara in bed first. He drew the heavy draperies shut to block out the moonlight. The Author gave a relieved sigh as the beams stopped assaulting his pasty skin and Naruto was quickly at his side.

"I'll get your nightclothes, sir."

Gaara's sore fingers fumbled with a button on his fine silk gown until Naruto courteously did it for him, finishing their evening procession by putting nine drops of holy oil on Gaara's forehead.

When Naruto was turning to leave, ready to eat dinner and enjoy a little entertainment before he considered heading to bed himself, Gaara suddenly took his hand and held it until he looked back. He issued a command in his small voice. "Stay."

"I'm not allowed to sleep in your room, sire. You know this, yes?"

"Stay."

"May I at least light the incense?"

Gaara's grip tightened as he shook his head. Naruto surrendered himself to the will of his master, though he was not particularly tired in the least. Often Gaara would request this and usually allowed him to leave after an hour or so. This would doubtless be the same. He removed his soft leather boots and laid beside Gaara in the goose-down bed, hoping that no irritating maids would walk in asking about dinner for their sacred pet and misinterpret the situation. The pillows smelled sickeningly like roses because the Librarians thought that such a godly flower should be close to Gaara frequently and they filled the pillowcases with dried petals that still held their fragrance. Gaara smelled like old books. That aroma was infinitely more pleasant.

"Will you have dinner, Gaara?"

"No."

"It pains me to see you so thin. Won't you eat something, for my sake?"

Sunken green eyes blinked slowly, processing. "If it will make you happy, Apollo."

Naruto left, locking the door behind him and hurrying off to the kitchens to gain an early supper for him and his master. The cook was surprised to see him there and gladly gave him a heaping tray of spoils: bowls of mutton stew, a tankard of ale, a thick hunk of bread smeared with freshly churned butter, and sprigs of mint to chew on after the meal was finished to cleanse their palate. Giving his thanks, he returned to the room and let himself in before locking the door once more. In his absence, Gaara appeared to have thrown a minor fit and the pillows lay in shreds on the floor, roses and feathers strewn in heaps on the ground. Naruto thought it best not to ask, but received an explanation anyway.

"They hurt my head, Apollo. What did you bring?"

Naruto sat on the bed, placing the tray on his master's lap. "Help yourself, sire."

Gaara's hands went to the bowl and attempted to lift it, but his hands suffered such tremors that he found it quite impossible. Naruto rose the stew to Gaara's lips and bade him to drink, which the young man did heartily, the lump in his throat bobbing with every gulp. Picking bits of meat out with his shaking fingers and placing them in his mouth, he savored the taste wholeheartedly. Next was the bread, which he quickly ate half of before giving the rest to Naruto, who set it back on the tray. He sampled the ale and did not find it to his liking, so ended with the mint spring and belched proudly. Food rarely seemed as wonderful as it did now, warm and transforming his belly into a state taut as a drum. His servant ate, keeping a close eye on him all the while. Sometimes crumbs would drop into his golden goatee and Gaara impulsively picked them out as a mother did with her child's nits before tossing care to the devil and placing them into his own mouth, which earned him a sound scolding. For the rest of the meal he kept his hands to himself. Naruto finished and set the tray outside for another servant to collect.

"May I go now, Gaara?"

"Stay," Gaara insisted, sliding out of bed cautiously to seat himself on his chamber pot to take a lengthy piss without shame.

Naruto averted his eyes and thanked the roses' presence, for it covered up the odor somewhat. Modesty was not a class Gaara had passed in and it showed now, how carelessly he bunched up his nightgown at his waist, revealing all that he had to God and the world. Fortune smiled at him and no bowel movements were forthcoming to worsen the situation. Finding his legs failed to support his attempts to get back up, Gaara tightened his fingers in his sheets and attempted to pull himself back into bed with equally little success. He extended his arms to Naruto, making a pleading noise.

"Careful, now. Mind your feet, lest you knock over the pot and send your piss running over the floor again. The Librarians will have my heads if this room gets any more bodily waste spilt in it." Shoulders aching in reminiscence of the last time that had happened and the hours he'd spent scrubbing the floors until they were deemed satisfactory by those stuffy wretches. "And are you sure you don't have to empty your bowels now? I might not make it in time if you do later."

Gaara grunted again, stretching further.

"Alright then." Naruto drew him to his feet and back into bed. "First thing we're doing on your holiday is buying you a nice blackthorn cane so you can practice walking. And then, we shall commence the walking practice. Those fools have let you waste away far too much."

Tucking the Author securely into bed, Naruto yawned. His energy always seemed to leave him after dealing with Gaara. "I'm going to go to bed now, alright? Pull the string if you need me."

Gaara's eyes didn't bother to follow his servant's finger to the purple tassel that hung from one of the four posts of his bed. "Bed here. Stay here, Apollo."

Not wishing to upset Gaara unnecessarily, Naruto conceded to stay until Gaara fell asleep and bunched up a section of the blankets to lay his head upon. Gaara was content to have his plain against the sheets. With inkstained fingers, the Author began to touch Naruto's features, inspecting them with careful curiosity. Palm pressed against cheek, where baby fat had lingered a few measly years ago. He could feel the gap between the upper and lower jaw and all the bones there were to be felt. Tracing the face with his thin fingers, he studied the skeletal structure centimeter by precious centimeter. The arch of his brow, the curve of his nose, the plumpness of the lips his fingertips rested upon briefly… He learned it all.

When satisfied, he concluded, "You are the most beautiful, Apollo."

"My name is Naruto."

I0I0I0I0I

Memory of the present for Gaara was patchy at best and nonexistent at worst. His childhood was long lost to him and even the faces around him never seemed familiar unless he saw them every day. Days without memory were spent like an animal. He'd wake up fearful, not knowing where he was. He wouldn't remember how to dress himself. He wouldn't remember how to eat. And when the Librarians tried to use black ayahuasca to snap him out of it, things almost always got worse. He would vomit on the floor and shit himself. He would curl up in the corner as he felt the stress of being an Author coupled with the black ayahuasca gnawing away at his mind and let loose ear-splitting, blood-curdling shrieks for hours on end as the memories and the monsters ran rampant in his head. After his voice was nearly gone, he would whimper and sob, balancing precariously on the tightrope between the borders of sanity.

His mind was not his own, it was only meant to be filled with the world's history, so naturally it shouldn't bother him. That was the theory of the Librarians, who always got flustered and embarrassed of their holy pet when he behaved this way, which usually prompted long-winded written apologies to everyone Gaara may or may not have offended. The second facet of their anger was primarily because his behavior prohibited him from working and he wore their patience as thin as it could possibly get. Results were not being produced, their time was being wasted on the fragile mental state of a boy who was hallucinating so fiercely that he could barely move. Why could their pet not be more mentally stable and still gifted?

Only one person had the patience to deal with him through whatever weather with a level head while everyone else was boiling over.

Naruto would assure him that he was in a safe place when he woke up. Naruto dressed him in clothing that wouldn't cause hassle to either of them later in the day. Naruto fed him by hand and wiped his chin for him if he forgot to close his mouth and ended up drooling everywhere. Naruto was the one who tried to talk them out of giving him black ayahuasca and when they gave him coca instead, he was the one to prevent his master from drowning himself in the river. Naruto always cleaned up any messes that Gaara made and gave him baths if he'd soiled himself. Naruto patiently sat beside Gaara while he had his screaming fits. Naruto held him when he cried afterwards, stroking his hair and crooning softly.

Someday, another Author would write down how much Naruto cared about Gaara.

Until then, they would enjoy this new day. Or try to, at the very least.

Naruto awoke to a piteous mewing out of his blurry range of vision. As he blinked Mab's dust from his eyes, he found that he had done the forbidden and drifted off in his master's room. The primary resident, however, was distinctly absent. He looked over the edge of the bed and found Gaara on the brass chamber pot, crying in pain. Naruto sprang out of bed and grabbed his master in the crooks of his armpits and pulled him to his full height. Lifting up the back of the nightgown, he found an angry red ring emblazoned on the Author's bum.

"God's wounds!" Naruto cursed. "How long have you been stuck there?"

Gaara couldn't find the words to answer.

"Ah, and it seems you didn't have a rag to wipe yourself. My deepest apologies, my lord. I should've thought to bring them closer just in case."

Naruto laid Gaara down on his stomach atop the bed and went to retrieve a rag from the dresser, which he briefly soaked in the bowl of water he'd used to wash Gaara's face the previous day. With one hand, he parted the cheeks of Gaara's bum and used the wet rag to clear the mostly dried feces from his crack. When he finished, he tossed the rag in the chamber pot and gathered it up to dump its stinking contents out the window.

"Doesn't that feel better, now?" Naruto rubbed Gaara's hair amicably. "I guess we will be forced to postpone your exercise until your arse is feeling better. That ring is a mighty troublesome shade of red. I'll pick up a cane for you nonetheless. Do you need anything of me before I go?"

"No, Apollo."

"Good." Naruto pulled a blanket over him. "Rest up. I expect to have you walking out of your room by yourself at the end of the day."

Pulling on his boots and clothes from the previous day, Naruto returned to his own meager room just three doors down the hall. The room was compact and Spartan, with only a bed and a wardrobe. From beneath a loose stone in the corner of the wall behind his bed he retrieved a small box full of money and began plucking coins out of it to fund this venture. Being the Author's footservant certainly had its benefits. For his continued service, he received several times the salary of the regular castle servants. This fact was something he kept a guarded secret, lest he become viciously bombarded by accusations of abuse towards the Author by fellow workers who sought to rise up to his job. Figuring it best to have an extra layer of security, he stored his savings here. He supposed he could always open a bank account, but that may betray how copious his finances were. Roughly estimating how much the cane would cost and some extra to pick up a trinket or bauble for his master to entertain himself with, he dropped the coins into his purse and secured it to his waist. Then he carefully placed the box back inside the hole, put the stone over it, and moved the bed back in place.

The ride to town was short, even on his lame mare. Twenty minutes, at most. The dappled horse seemed as healthy as ever in spite of her advanced age. Waving hello to those who happened to notice him, he rode through the town in search of Jiraiya's workshop. The old man occasionally moved in and out of town and never told anyone when he changed his address. With the assistance of some carpenters, he found his way there and tied his horse up out front.

"Ho, old man!" Naruto bellowed as he entered the shop.

The man jumped, his knife slipping from the carving he was in the middle of making. "Ach! I suppose I'll be adding an extra vine on this foot, then."

"My apologies."

"Save your words for when you truly mean them, boy." Jiraiya laid down his knife and stepped over the great oak chair he was working on. "How have you faired in that stuffy old castle?"

"Quite well, thank you. And you?"

"Well, most of my recent orders for decorative pieces have been from out of kingdom. I think I shall be sick of messengers for the rest of my life. Always thundering up at the most inopportune times, breaking my concentration. Demanding that the work be done sooner. Never handling the furniture properly and the like. I was going to beat you with this chair if you happened to be one."

"That troublesome?"

"Indeed. How fares your master? Still barmy?"

"He is _not_ barmy."

"Alright then, mad."

"Nor is he mad." Naruto glowered at the man. Even if it was in jest, he disliked people speaking poorly towards his master. "In fact, I am on a mission to procure something for him at this very instant. Do you happen to have any canes laying about you would care to part with?"

"I just might. Unless you want blackthorn. That look tells me you were. I've plenty of oak. They work equally well."

"Oak is suitable."

"Thirteen silver." Jiraiya rummaged around the shop as Naruto counted out his coins and traded the cane for the money.

"Thank you."

"May you and your madman be merry, boy."

The cane was painted with a thin layer of wax that Naruto suspected kept water from seeping in and rotting the wood. The knob had a nice curve to it. The cane seemed sturdy overall. Then again, these were just brevite observations he was making while browsing the shops on horseback. He stopped when he found a woman peddling her wares on the street. Something glittered in her selection and he dismounted to get a better look at it. He picked up the thing and observed it from several angles. No matter which way you looked at it, it was a small crystal bird. She would not reveal where she had gotten it from or how it had been done. He bought it on the spot and rode hastily back to the castle. He could not wait to show Gaara.

The castle was its usual busy self and Naruto managed to make it back to his master's room. He opened the door. A maid was standing over the bed, speaking softly. Immediately he was suspicious. Even the greenest of the recruits knew that only he was to enter Gaara's room unless specifically ordered. He crept closer to hear what she was saying.

"I know that you have no experience in this sort of thing. But I promise that you will thank me for this as I shall thank you once I have your child."

"Apollo?" Gaara's voice was nervous, confused.

"Yes, you can call it Apollo or whatever you wish. All you have to do is allow me to do this."

Naruto seized her by the shoulder and forced her to face him. "What in the name of God are you doing, woman?"

She began to stammer. "Naruto, you tread quite softly! I did not hear you come in! The lord had just soiled himself and I was cleaning him off."

Naruto looked down at Gaara, who was staring at the woman's hand wrapped around his cock. "Is that so?"

"He seems to have gotten somewhat aroused while I was cleaning."

"I can assure you, that in all the years I have served my master, he has never once gotten aroused when I cleaned him." Naruto squeezed her shoulder harder and removed her hand from his master's semi-erect genitals. "The Librarians will not take kindly to you attempting to molest his person."

"Please don't."

"In fact, this very same thing happened once before. She was out of a job in less than a minute."

"Naruto, I beg of thee!"

"In fact, if I remember correctly, they forced her to be sodomized by a donkey. But that was because Pagemaster Shino found her and we all know how eccentric _he_ is. Given that it is me who has discovered this act of wretched malfeasance, I daresay that I shall be the one to choose your punishment this time."

"Have mercy upon me!" the woman cried, falling to her knees before him. "I shall do anything you request, sire!"

"I am hardly a sire." Naruto stepped away from her when she attempted to cling to his leg. "And cease that ungodly wailing. At least have the decency to face your demise with a few shreds of dignity."

Though he had not thought it possible, she broke even further. "I am destined for the guillotine, then? There is absolutely nothing I can do for you?"

Her work-worn hands went to his loins, stroking the fabric of his trousers.

"I see you do not learn either. Attempting your wiles on a man is what got you in this situation in the first place. Stand up and come with me to receive your punishment."

Obstinately going limp on the floor, the woman glowered up at him with the sort of rage he'd only seen in the eyes of a hunted boar. Unamused by her attempts to escape justice, he snatched her by the back of her neck and forced her to her feet, jerking her out of the room like a stubborn mule. She screamed bloody murder, but Naruto removed his mind from the situation entirely and did what was needed.

Half an hour later he was able to return, smiling apologetically at his master.

"Now, about that walking practice…"

"Thank you, Apollo."

I0I0I0I0I

Eleven blissful days of holiday passed and Gaara's capability to move around on his own had increased twofold, though not always to his benefit. For the past three nights Naruto had awoken to the sound of the walking stick on the floor of his sparse room, always mere moments before Gaara would crawl into bed with him to ask to go for another walk or to ask for a story. The events usually occurred in groups, last evening requiring him to put Gaara back into his own bed five separate times. Though exhausting and somewhat irritating, he was glad to see the Author gaining some independent function. He didn't have to be coaxed to eat as much either, as long as Naruto ate with him. Consequentially, he had put on a few pounds, which was nothing but good. Just this morning Naruto had joked that if Gaara kept gaining weight, he wouldn't be able to carry him around anymore. Immediately Gaara stopped eating his breakfast, looking pitifully horrified at the notion. It had taken a while to convince him that no matter how heavy he got, the carrying would continue if he truly wanted it.

Most surprisingly of all, however, was the subtle and slight increase of mental function. For the first half of the vacation and walking trials, Gaara constantly lost himself in the castle and had to holler for Naruto to find him. Something changed during the second half and just the other day, Gaara had managed to find Naruto in a secluded part of the castle without seeming to have stopped to ask for directions once. Of course, it had been a long walk and he promptly collapsed afterward and had to spend the rest of the day in bed, but it had been a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Perhaps most pleasant of all was this afternoon, when they ran into Matsuri in the hallway. Normally, Gaara barely acknowledged the existence of other people, forever in his own world. Today, he stopped and said hello to her.

He remembered her real name. Not Clio. Matsuri.

Both had been shocked at this development. Matsuri had taken on Clio as a sort of endearment and to hear anything else jarred her. Naruto was simply floored that Gaara willingly entered a conversation with someone other than him and remembered their name atop that. The jubilation, however, was devastated when Gaara's mind seemed to stutter and he stopped in the middle of telling Matsuri about today's planned adventure, mind switching gears abruptly as said 'goodbye, Clio'. He left the gaping duo shell-shocked in his wake.

That had been less than a quarter of an hour ago. Now they had moved on to the next stage of Gaara's practice: walking outside, where the organic terrain would be slightly less forgiving to him than the straight floors present in the castle. Naruto couldn't remember the last time Gaara had been out and about when he wasn't under the influence of the medicines of the Librarians. Years, doubtless. The Author had squinted against the brilliant glare of the high sun initially, but he seemed to have uneasily adapted to it. His own legs began to shake by the time they made it to the palace garden and he had to use his free arm to clutch Naruto's arm until he could sit on a warm, lion-footed bench.

The perfumed air was crisp and clean, unlike the damp mustiness of his room and the Library. Water was drawn for him from a rarely used well in the corner of the enclosed space and he drank with great pleasure. Ducks that lived in the pond that was the focal piece of the garden strutted by in a line, ducklings obediently following their parents in a fluffy brigade. Gaara picked one up, much to the surprise of the duckling, which began peeping madly. It was yellow, just like Apollo's hair. He looked up at his servant, who was ladling up a helping of water from the well for himself. Stroking the duckling's downy feathers, he considered whether this was similar enough to Apollo to want to keep as a pet.

Unfortunately the parents noticed and quacked furiously, pecking at Gaara until he surrendered the chick. The duck parents herded their young back to the pond, securely out of the reach of the Author. Apollo came back to him to check up on him, inquiring if he wanted any more water. Instead of giving a solid answer, Gaara reached up and made short grunts until Apollo figured out what he wanted and kneeled before him to allow him to pat his hair. He smiled. The duck wouldn't have been good enough.

"Softer."

"Pardon me?"

"Apollo is softer."

"Whatever you say, my lord." Apollo returned his grin and Gaara felt that warmth in his chest that was even more pleasant than the sun on his back. "What would you like to do?"

Gaara kept on smiling and Naruto had to give up on getting a decent answer. Instead, he returned to roaming the garden, exploring the veritable rainbow of flowers present. Occasionally he stole a glance toward the Author, to ensure he was okay. Vaguely he recalled snatches of a similar memory, but it was long ago. Back in their childhood, perhaps.

Gaara seemed to realize this simultaneously, his joy faltering as he thought about it. He could never remember those early days. Only Apollo did and he couldn't ask because the Librarians would inevitably find out and Apollo would get in trouble for filling his head with unnecessary things. They already were breaking the rules when Apollo told him stories he made up.

"Apollo?"

"Naruto, my lord." The man came to him anyway, carrying a handful of tulips.

Tossing his worries to the wind, Gaara asked, "Did this happen before?"

Naruto was surprised again. "I can't tell you that. Not until your Sight goes away."

_If_ it went away at all.

"Will you write it down for me, Apollo?"

Naruto tried not to show pain on his face. Despite having a master who was an Author… "I can't read or write, sir. I'm sorry."

"Apollo is sad?" Now Gaara looked concerned. "I don't like when Apollo is sad."

"No, nothing is wrong. I came to terms with it years ago. Here." Naruto gave him the flowers and sat on the bench beside him. "I haven't been here in a while. I didn't know they had so many colors of tulips."

Gaara smelled them, red, purple, blue, white, studying the petals before smelling Apollo. Sweat and musk and warmth. Much better than flowers. He took one of Apollo's large hands in his frail pair and pressed it to his cheek, absorbing his light. "Apollo is much more beautiful."

Naruto blushed and sat beside his lord, plucking a petal from a flower and twirling it between his fingers. "You are being foolish, my lord."

"No, Apollo is the most beautiful of all." Bowing his head to indicate this was the gospel truth, Gaara rested his head on his footservant's shoulder. "Even if he can't read."

"Well, isn't _this_ quite a scene!"

Naruto didn't have to turn around to know who was speaking. He snapped the vivid head of a tulip from its stem. "Go fall on your lance, Sasuke."

"I see you are as kindly to me as ever."

"Why have you strayed from your dragoons?"

"Mock me and you shall find yourself on the end of the very lance you wish I would pierce my breast with, bastard child."

The soldier was still wearing part of his armor, the chest plate seeming as naturally fitting on him as a regular blouse, regular from a fresh polishing that no doubt had a squire aching somewhere. His helmet was casually held in one of his hands, the extravagant visor closed and the sharp decorative ear fins gleaming brightly in the daylight. In his other hand, he grasped a long spear whose tip was currently centered at the point between Naruto's eyes. A cocky smirk was painted on his lips.

"Violence is bad, Artemis," Gaara said serenely, not minding the disbelieving stare of the dragoon.

"Truly he must be addled to mistake me for a woman!" huffed Sasuke, cheeks burning hotly.

"Gaara, this is Sasuke. He is the captain of the dragoons. Remember?"

"Is Dionysus with you as well?" Gaara could not care less about supposed correctness.

"Your precious Author is mad."

"He means Sai, I think."

"No." Sasuke lowered his lance. "Sir Sai has more pressing matters to attend to than scandal."

Eyes narrowed, Naruto growled, "Where is this scandal of which you speak?"

"'Apollo is the most beautiful of all', or did I happen to mishear your master?"

Gaara's whole visage brightened immediately. Someone understood. "Apollo is the kindest, gentlest, handsomest person in the whole kingdom."

"Oh, is that so?" Sasuke chuckled, reveling in Naruto's dumbfounded expression. "I suppose you could call him gentle. Aside from that little encounter with that wench who laid hands upon you, that is. That poor, poor woman… Your methods of punishment are quite interesting and unique, you know. The executioner and the interrogation squad both have asked me if I would talk to you about joining forces with them."

"Speak not of this in the presence of my master!" Naruto growled with an enraged vehemence. "He needs not to know of the wicked things I may do when not in his presence."

"Oh, I see. Then you are ashamed when you act so monstrously." Sasuke smirked as Naruto guiltily picked at the scurf of his broad palms. "A grain of humanity after all?"

"Leave this place, Sasuke. You sully this hallowed area when you trifle with, as your brother would say, foolishness." Naruto's lips twisted into a cruel shape that could be called neither smile nor grimace. "Abide by his words, even in his absence."

"I should gut you right now!" Sasuke hissed, pressing the point of his lance into Naruto's abdomen.

"And yet you cannot, lest you lose your own head."

"Get away from Apollo!" Gaara slapped at the spear, staring defiantly up at the dragoon captain. "Apollo is beautiful. You do not understand…"

"Oh, I understand, sire. I used to think thusly as well. And I still do, on occasion. But he has wronged me too grievously." Sasuke ruffled Gaara's hair affectionately. "Have fun with your pitiful wretch, little madman."

Naruto watched the light sparkle on Sasuke's fine armor. He looked very good in it. He hadn't been a member of the dragoons yet the last time they'd met this way. Looks aside, the interaction had been a complete and utter failure. He hadn't talked to the man in years and their first conversation since the incident was crumbling into oblivion. "It was wrong. What he was doing. I did what I thought was best for you. You were my friend, Sasuke."

"And you were mine. Which makes it sting all the worse…" Sasuke glanced back one last time, comely visage obscured by his unruly hair. "…you monster."

Gaara smelled the tulips again. Artemis had such a foul temper some times. He would be happier if he could say what he really meant. Everyone would be happier if they did. The sun was getting a bit too much, he realized. Heat made heads irrational. He tugged on the sleeve of his servant's shirt, then peered into his indescribably beautiful face.

"Apollo? Why are you crying?"

I0I0I0I0I

"Why are you always with me, Apollo?"

The grass was soft and green and smelled wonderfully. Another three days of holiday had passed and the Librarians grudgingly allowed it, though it was supposed to end tomorrow morning. The pair had set themselves up on a gently sloping embankment to watch their final sunset before they had to return to the way things used to be. Hopefully this would last as long as they wanted it to.

Naruto crinkled his nose. That was an oddly inquiring question for his master. "It is my duty. Besides, I enjoy being with you."

"You lie."

Another surprise from his companion. They came semi-regularly now. "What do you mean, my lord?"

"You despise me." Even though Gaara sounded like he knew this to be a fact that should not impact him one way or the other, his voice was thick with tears. "I know it."

"Far from it, my lord." Naruto watched the Author be unconvinced by this assertion and break down into tears. "Heaven above. What on earth has gotten into you? Who said that I despised you?"

"No one. I just know. You do not have a wife. You lack children. A man your age must have a wife and children or he is not happy. You are always with me, so no one knows how beautiful you are." Gaara hiccupped and coughed through the tears, feeling horrid.

"While it is dreadfully kind to worry about my marital status, it really is not necessary." Naruto gathered his master up, holding him close and hushing him. "You are tired. Let us go back inside the castle and put you to bed."

Gaara trembled in his caretaker's arms, trying to hold in the tears and failing spectacularly. Was it possible to feel worse than he did at this very moment? He was a burden to Apollo, the one who was most precious to him. Did Apollo wish that he had a family to call his own rather than the needy weak thing he was stuck with instead? Gaara had seen the men bring their women to the castle and the children that inevitably came along, learning the trade of their fathers. They looked happy. Apollo had no woman that he knew of, so he must be unhappy. Tears flowed freely once more as his servant escorted him back to his bedroom and he ignored the concern about his keening wails that the man who had been serving him for so long presented.

Being coddled once he was in bed didn't help the way it used to. Apollo could be out looking for a woman and here he was, trying to comfort him. He suppressed his whimpers as quickly as he could so that Apollo could leave sooner. Once he'd stopped crying, he felt his hair being stroked and a soft farewell was whispered as the man left him. Thank god. He didn't know how anyone could willingly spend as much time with a creature as despicable as him without going mad. Sometimes he heard that in the halls. Those people were right.

Apollo must hate him for interfering with his personal life. He had to make up for all those wasted years somehow…

I0I0I0I0I

The next morning, Gaara's door was blocked by two heavily armed guards. Naruto simply could not believe his eyes. He tried to enter, but was halted by the knights. The worst immediately came to mind.

"Why do you guard my master's door?" Naruto demanded. "Is he ill? Hurt? Please, let me pass!"

He punched a guard in the soft flesh of his unprotected throat and leapt at the door, clawing for the knob. The butt of a heavy pommel came down on his crown and he fell to the ground in an undignified heap.

"Lord Gaara! Lord Gaara!"

"Cease that noise!" barked one knight. "Nothing is wrong with the master. You are simply forbidden to contact him today."

"On whose orders? The Librarians?"

"No, they are orders from Lord Gaara himself. Heed them and lower your voice. The lord is still sleeping."

"My master would never give me those orders," Naruto spat, fingers clenching into tight fists.

"He thought you would say that. He said 'take time to find a wife, Apollo'."

Naruto's whole body went slack at the message. Only Gaara would be foolish enough to try something like this.

"If a wife is what you seek, would you mind procuring one for me as well?" joked the knight who'd delivered the message.

"If you need a woman so badly, you can have mine!" chortled the other.

Naruto smiled weakly and nodded, then took his leave.

"Gaara, you fool…"

Though he scrounged up some gold and treated himself to a few pints at the pub, he couldn't muster any enthusiasm. Without his master to fret over, he scarcely knew what to do. Gaara truly did consume all his waking thoughts. The warm beer did little to soothe his uneasy spirits. If anything, the alcohol merely made his thoughts rush faster. Why would he think that he was despised simply because he didn't have a wife or children? He had plenty of time to settle down and find a family for himself. Did Gaara fancy him to be some sort of woman who had to be married off and birthing children before she was too old to do so?

"You certainly look troubled."

Naruto looked up into a pretty face and a bountiful bustline. "Hello, ma'am."

"What makes you act as though you carry the weight of the entire world on your shoulders? Is it a woman?"

"No, ma'am. Not strictly speaking." Naruto swirled his remaining beer around the rim of his wooden mug.

"You make me out to be some old maid! You can call me Ino." The woman sat next to him. "And I know all about who you are."

"I feared that." Naruto finished off the beer, needing it to get through this bloody discussion. "Here to tell me what a wretch I am?"

"I could care less about that. What has you so dreadfully listless?"

Naruto was shocked. After the severe punishment he'd brought down on that woman's head, even people who had greeted him in the street frequently had began to turn the other direction when he came into town. Ino truly did not appear to mind. The bartender, her father, gave her a sharp look that she waved off effortlessly with a coy giggle. Her long, golden hair was done up with a ribbon and swayed as she moved, exposing her pale neck. His mouth fairly watered at the prospect of biting into it.

"My master thinks I hate him because I have no wife."

"Excuse me?" Ino tried to follow the logic and after a few moments, began to laugh again. "That is really rather absurd! That Author fellow is something!"

Naruto relaxed and chuckled himself. She was right. Gaara was just being silly. There was no reason to be worried. "Yes, he is quite an interesting young man."

"I bet he will be as right as rain tomorrow. Fret not, my love." Ino chucked his chin playfully, earning a stern harrumph from her father. "Sod off, da! He is not a bloody monster!"

Naruto didn't know that he had wanted to hear that more than anything else in the world until she said it. All his misgivings and preconceptions fell away instantly and he began to talk, unbound by disappearance of the usual expectations and political nonsense involved in his life. Ino listened and gladly reciprocated and eventually even managed to get her father to stop giving Naruto the evil eye and the morning passed into night smoothly. The feeling in his head was pure giddiness.

When he realized how late it had become, he cursed his poor timekeeping. He did not wish to ask his poor old mare to ride back to the castle in the dark. The wolves were likely out prowling the fields and all the sensible men were inside their homes enjoying supper. Ino was already a step ahead of him. She brought him a thick bowl of stew and a hunk of bread that he gobbled up and asked him for payment for a room.

"I intend to give you a discount, of course."

Of course. How had he lived without the company of everyday people all these years? He paid her and she tucked the money away in some safe haven for her father to discover whenever he woke up the next morning.

"Lead the way, my lady."

"Tread lightly, my good sir." She gave him a cat smile, sneaky and excited as they tiptoed up the stairs. "I hope you do not mind that I reserved the attic for you. It is comfier than one would expect."

Reaching the attic required climbing a ladder into the room, which was dimly lit by an oil lamp on a table near the bed. Ino pointed out where the chamber pot was, as well as a pile of extra blankets and the cupboard he was welcome to store his things in. His horse, she said, had already been taken care of by her mother. Naruto thanked her and turned away from her as he began to remove his shirt. Small hands swept up his belly and he felt her hair tickle against his neck.

"Pardon me, sir. You seem to need some help with your garments."

Naruto smiled in the darkness. "Yes, I think I might."

They undressed quickly, tossing intermittent glances at the trap door that separated them from the rest of the inn. Ino pressed against his groin and he uttered a low groan as he shucked off his trousers and let his cock spring free. His carnal prowess was somewhat limited, but he earned a breathy gasp when he grabbed her breasts and rolled them in his palms. She clambered into the bed, faintly illuminated by the lantern. He buried his face in her womanhood, slurping it greedily until he was swimming in her essence. His tongue found an unassuming nub above her lips and found she rather enjoyed it when she was licked there, repeating the process until she was squirting into his probing mouth. When he slid his cock inside her, his worries about Gaara were fleeting, but when he began to thrust and she clawed at his back, they disappeared completely.

I0I0I0I0I

Well rested and satisfied in a way he hadn't expected, Naruto was in a significantly better mental state leaving the inn than he was entering. He could handle this whole problem with Gaara now. Surely the young man would let him return to his post now. He rode to the castle at a leisurely pace, giving a sheepishly hopeful look towards Sasuke, who was training his dragoons in the courtyard. The man frowned uncertainly, pretended he hadn't seen the attempt to reach out and restore the burned bridge, and resumed drilling the soldiers. Time could heal this wound too, though it was a jagged and deep one. A surgeon might have to be called in to help mend things, but that was quite alright. Naruto thought he was willing to pay the expense for the doctor's services.

He stabled his mare, greeted the lad mucking out the stalls with a massive grin and a jaunty wave, and strolled through the halls of the castle in a bright mood. All was well in the world. The sun seemed brighter than usual. The air smelled sweeter. Everyone he smiled at returned the gesture. Life was beautiful.

Chaos ran rampant in the Author's private hall. Unearthly banshee shrieks ran on and on, each one into the last unendingly. A squadron of maids, knights and priests were attempting to jam themselves into Gaara's room to squelch them out. He shoved his way through the crowd and found the center of attention cowering in the corner. Gaara gibbered nonsensically, pupils pinpricks as his mind battled some unseen force. A foul stench hovered in the air like some malignant hummingbird, emanating from the Author himself, who had not yet been changed out of his white sleeping gown in spite of it being easily noon by now. The front was yellowed with urine, the back dark with shit. And still he screamed, wrenching at the strings of Naruto's heart.

"_Apollo! Apollo! Save me, Apollo!"_ His hands clenched into unnatural shapes as his whole body jerked abruptly, cracking his head against the wall. Whatever headache that was savaging his mind was multiplied tenfold by the blow and Gaara began to yank at his hair, trying to pull the pain out at the source. _"Apollo! Apollo!"_

Bewildered at the outburst, a maid from a different section of the castle asked a comrade who worked closer to this hall, "Who's Apollo?"

"It is what he refers to his servant as. He gave him the day off yesterday and the fellow hasn't returned yet, but seems to have forgotten about it."

Jackknifing into the wall six more times, Gaara sobbed harder. Snot mingled with tears on his upper lip. Blood poured out of his mouth, staining the lower one. When he opened his mouth to take in a gasping breath, a line of teeth marks were revealed to have been cut neatly into his tongue. His cries grew garbled as he fell flat on the stone floor, spasming violently. No longer were the pretty green of his eyes visible, all that could be seen were the whites. Fingers contorted into agonized claws swiped at the air and Naruto looked around frantically for the Librarians, who had come to a unanimous decision.

"I suppose it cannot be helped."

"—_pollo, p-pollooo—"_

"Pagemaster Akatsuki?"

"—_po-pollo, he—elp-elp-elp—"_

"Yes, Pagemaster Shiba?"

"_el-el-el-el-el-el-el-elllllpppp-ppp—"_

"Please get the black ayahuasca."

"—_polllllloooooo—"_

They intended to make things worse. Were they daft? Naruto shoved a knight out of the way and elbowed a maid in her ribcage. Gaara lay twitching on the stone, choking on his blood. Naruto was forced to blitz through at least seventeen more people to reach his master and turn him over. He slapped him on the back until the blood that had been blocking his throat was coughed up in a bright red spray and found an old pen laying nearby that he carefully placed between the Author's teeth so he couldn't bite himself again. Gaara still twitched and spasmed, but the erratic movement gradually decreased and his eyes rolled back to their proper position. Slowly his head swung towards his servant. His blood-stained lip quivered. Whimpers began crawling out of his throat and he reached for Naruto, seeking comfort. Fighting through the abominable smell rising from the Author, Naruto delivered it in the form of an embrace.

"I am here, my lord. I am here."

Gaara buried his face into Naruto's broad chest. "Apollo… unnh… Apollo…"

"He needs a good washing. Someone draw a bath for my master as well as procuring soap and clean clothes so I may convert him into a more respectable appearance. I ask that everyone else take their leave. He is in a delicate state at the moment."

The Librarians grumbled that a servant should be tossing around orders so casually, but his fellow servants took to the job with a great deal of liveliness. Clothes were laid before him in a matter of a minute and a bath was reported to be heating within five. A pair of maids set themselves to the task of cleaning the floor without being asked. Naruto let Gaara play with his beard as he picked him up, trying to avoid the soiled parts of the man as he carried him to the private bathroom to clean him up. The water was a bit hot, so he gathered a rag from the bucket provided and undressed Gaara, who numbly lifted his arms when asked. He gently pushed him flat on his stomach on the floor and raised his hips to give him full clearance to the foul mess on his ass and soaked the rag in the tub before drawing it over the shit. Though Gaara fidgeted and made a few displeased noises, he stayed still until it was thoroughly cleansed. Naruto rolled the Author over and proceeded to repeat the process on his genitals with a fresh rag, ensuring that they no longer reeked of urine. Gaara cooed pleasantly, pressing his fingers to the organ Naruto had just been touching. Naruto pulled his hands away and coaxed him into the tub.

"Story, Apollo?"

Naruto felt his heart sink. What functions had been built up over the holiday seemed completely lost. "Alright, story."

He recited the tale of the girl with silver hands as he thoroughly scrubbed each and every inch of his master, whose interest in the story seemed to wax and wane. Halfway through the story, he noticed Gaara had flushed red and was huffing as if he had just run a lap around the castle. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Gaara's hands since he'd washed them. He peered into the tub and surely enough they were wrapped around his penis, tugging and pulling as he grunted in time to the strokes.

"God's wounds!" Naruto cursed as he stopped the shameless exhibitionism, leaving Gaara distraught as he rocked his hips upward into the water. "Cease that immediately!"

"Feels good, Apollo…" To prove his point, he tugged Naruto's hands until they were touching his manhood. "See? Feels good."

He pumped his hips into the unwilling grip made by his servant's hands a couple more times and shuddered, ejaculating into the water.

"Oh hell."

"Apollo…"

I0I0I0I0I

"Come to me, Apollo."

Four days had passed since the incident in the tub when Gaara uttered this command. Naruto was lighting incense when it was issued and glanced over his shoulder at his waiting lord. The young man was laid out on his luxurious covers, waiting to be anointed with the holy oil. His thin lips were parted appetizingly and his eyes beckoned Naruto with a come-hither look. The servant ignored this, billing it to his overactive imagination, and knelt at his master's bedside.

"What do you wish, Lord Gaara?"

He hoped that it was for them to continue the vacation and avoid undergoing any of the usual sessions, which had happened once the Librarians realized that he would cause them severe bodily harm for forcing any more Writing on him before his mind was ready. The recovery had been faster this time and he was capable of holding small conversations with even strangers and showed genuine interest in the lives of others.

Small, thin fingers brushed against his cheek. "Undress me, Apollo. I feel as if I am suffocating."

Naruto removed Gaara's sleeping gown carefully. Inch after inch of white skin appeared and Naruto grew steadily more embarrassed. He set the gown aside and tried to ignore how Gaara's ruby-red manhood jutted up from his belly, ripe for the taking. It was wrong to think of his master the way he did, it was taking advantage of his vulnerability in every way possible. He was so thankful that he'd locked the door tonight. Hell would break loose if someone encroached upon them in this manner.

"Now I undress Apollo."

Naruto felt like he had been punched in the gut. "You can't! It's unnecessary and not to mention—"

"I want to see you undressed, Apollo."

"God's wounds… Where are you getting this from?"

Gaara sat up and swung his legs to the edge of the bed, unbuttoning Naruto's shirt with little resistance from the other man. "From my head, Apollo."

Allowing the Author this folly, he peeled off his shirt. "There. Undressed enough for you, sire?"

"No." And with that, he urged Naruto to his feet and began to undo the laces of his trousers. Naruto had no idea why he was allowing Gaara to get away with such deviant behavior. His prick flopped out and Gaara slowly pulled down the pants until he could move them no more, the fabric clenched around Naruto's muscular thighs. Naruto hesitantly kicked them off.

"Now are you satisfied?"

Gaara stretched up his arms to his servant. "Hold me, Apollo."

"No, sire. I cannot do that, unless you intend for me to lose my job and my head."

"I will never let Apollo leave my side." Gaara's eyes widened, imploring. "Please… Hold me and have me like you would a woman, Apollo."

Warmth met Naruto's limp manhood as Gaara caressed it. He wanted to resist, but lacked the fortitude. Who was he to kid? He was in love with this foolish man. Every day he spent taking care of him and watching over him was fulfilling in a way he could never hope to put into words. No one human on the face of this planet could make him feel as strongly as Gaara did. When he said those innocent sweet nothings or pleaded for a story or especially now that he was seeking pleasure from the flesh, Naruto could not help but react.

As always, Naruto took steps to fulfill his duty. He made sure to ease Gaara into it by kissing him all over his body, loosening any tension that may be there. "Tell me if you ever wish to stop, my lord."

The Author melted in his arms as Apollo rubbed holy oil on the places that would soon connect and become one. How could anyone ever wish for this to stop? Apollo took the time to find every division of flesh and sensitive spots there were to be discovered and lavished them with attention. When they did join, Gaara sighed through the minor pain and allowed sensation to take over his mind. He was in sheer awe of his servant. This was Apollo: he who was without darkness. And Apollo was filling him with his light, banishing the shadows and the cobwebs that occupied his innards. He called out the name of his god softly as they moved on the sheets, knowing instinctively that raising his voice too much would ruin the magic. Apollo called his in a falling moan as his light came forth and overcame what had been there before. Further kissing brought them down from the sensation of flying and when they broke apart, Gaara felt as if a mighty weight had been lifted from his mind.

"We are going to be in unspeakable trouble for this act, you know." Naruto yawned, putting an arm around Gaara.

"Let them make trouble."

"What is this? Your eyes seem to have a certain spark in them…" Naruto queried incredulously. He was not saying it in jest, it was the honest truth. There was an element of joy and life in them that had not been there previously.

"I love you, Naruto."

0o0

Man, this story is old. Older than you guys even know. Glad I finally got it out on the internets and all that. Not sure if I got the story I wanted, but I feel relieved to have finished it. I think it's pretty rough in some places, but honestly, I have done about as much on this story as I think I ever will. Hope you got some form of enjoyment from it.

In case you hadn't seen, I added a nifty weekly update thingamabobber on my user page. Now you can keep track of all the stories that I'm working on at any given time!

Until next time…

~YamiTenshi~


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